The Grace of an Eagle
by Logan Jindrak X
Summary: Eris always have had feelings for Laval. When she doesn't know how to tell him with words, she decides to tell him through possibly the last thing she expected to do in her life: belly dancing! One-shot, romance-themed.


**Author's note: I think I am one of the very few people in this world who actually enjoyed LEGO Legends Of Chima. At least, as much as Ninjago. I'm pretty sad that the show did not meet the same success and ended on a cliffhanger. I will not ignore the many, many flaws of the show, but I still don't think it should be ignored to that point.**

**One of the points I loved the most about this show is Eris. I don't know why, but this sweet eagle girl caught my heart almost instantly... maybe because I love birds? One of my biggest disappointments is that they did not pair her with Laval but with Rogon. Like, really, I don't even think these two are compatible while she is a perfect fit for Laval. She is the intelligence and shyness to his courage and stupidity. This is why I decided to write this fic. Hope you enjoy it.**

**The Grace of an Eagle**

"I'm not sure to understand what you are asking of me, Eris," Eglor said, with scratching the back of his head.

The eagle princess left her nest earlier this morning to meet with the "Gadgetbird" of the Eagle Tribe in his personal lab located on the lower levels of the tribe's mountain. This surprised Eglor for he knew Eris as a morning person who liked to relax, read books, fly while enjoying her freedom, and spend time with her friends like Laval. Which is why he felt very surprised when she came to him with the blueprint of an armor he never saw before and asked him to build it.

"It's simple, Eglor; I just want you to build this for me," Eris said. "I saw some of my friends from the Gorilla Tribe using these for special events. G'Loona wore one during a night of dancing held by her tribe."

"But... I don't understand how this armor is supposed to work." Eglor took the blueprint Eris gave him and adjusted his red robotic eye as he examined with care. "It barely covers the body and doesn't seem to bring a proper defense against conventional weapons."

"It's not a weapon, Eglor; it's called a dancing dress," Eris pointed out. "It's for... you know, dancing."

Eglor blinked his only normal eye at the princess as a storm of question ran through his yet complex mind. "A dancing dress? Wait a second, Eris. Have you started to dance?"

The eagle princess looked away from the Gadgetbird with a slight blush that could still be seen with ease through her white feathers. "... Yes. Around five months ago, I asked G'Loona to teach me a special dance used in the south of Chima for females to attract males."

"You want to attract males now?" Eglor asked in disbelief. "This is not like you, Eris. You always told me and your father that romance was at the bottom of your priority list. What made you change your mind like this? Mating season doesn't start before next summer."

"Well... if you want me to be entirely honest, Eglor... I... developped feelings for someone."

Did Eglor's ears flinched? No. He heard that perfectly well. Eris did say she got a crush! A day he thought would never come! Ever since he assisted her hatching day and saw her little fluffy form coming out of the egg, he always knew that Eris would be someone special. He made sure to be there for her throughout her whole life, instructing her during her time as a student and making sure she'd known everything about Chima, how to fight with advanced weapons, and how to drive her vehicle... even if his teachings were so complex that she did not understand all of them.

"I can't believe it...," Eglor mumbled, feeling tears coming up to his only good eye. "My little eagle is finally coming out of her shell."

"It's okay, Eglor, don't cry," Eris softy said and hugged her friend. She would forever be grateful to him for being like a second father figure to her. And a mentor. "So, are you gonna make me this dress?"

"Of course, my dear Eris," he replied after wiping away his tear. "I'm gonna start right away... after breakfast, of course."

"Thank you so much, Eglor!" Eris beamed. "This gives me the time to send invitations to my friends. I hope they will all come... I hope that _he_ will come..."

* * *

Later that day, when the light of the day started making place to the darkness of the night, bringing an auburn color to the sky, the childhood friends of the various tribes across Chima gathered to the spot near the cherry blossom tree and its river where they used to play together as kids. Laval, Cragger, Gorzan, Worriz, and Razar all gathered near their familiar tree, sitting on small rock-like chairs.

"Did Eris said what this little surprise is supposed to be?" Cragger asked his best friend.

"Not exactly," Laval replied. "She only said that it would be something we would not expect and that we will have a lot of fun."

"Well, she's better to not be lying," Worriz said with growling a bit. "I had to cancel my date with Windra for this." The other tribes of Chima did not forget all the trouble the Wolf Tribe caused them not so long ago, but they were willing to give them a second chance as long as they did not try to steal all the Chi for themselves again.

"I just hope it will not be a comedy show, dude. Eris might be good at a lot of things, but not telling jokes, dude," Gorzan said.

"Don't worry, Gorzan. I don't think Eris would ask us to gather here just to tell jokes; she already tells many jokes when we hang together," Laval said.

Just then, Eglor flew down from the sky and landed on top of the tall rock located just beside the cherry blossom tree. However, since the atmosphere became dark due to the lack of light, only Razar and Worriz noticed his arrival. "Hey, Eglor, where is Eris?" the raven asked. "Is she gonna come soon? Staying here and doing nothing is bad for my business."

"Sorry for keeping you waiting my dear guests," the gadgetbird said with a smile. "A moment, please." Reaching to his belt, he took out what looked like a hug eprojector which he settled down on top of the rock and turned it on. A bright spotlight appeared in the middle of the small circular stone structure where the cheery blossom tree stood.

"A spotlight? What is that for, dude?" Gorzan asked.

"My dear gentlemen," Eglor said with a bright smile, "the show will now begin. I hope you will enjoy it." He reached to his belt once again and took out some sort of metallic board with many buttons on it. Pressing a few of them, a music started playing - a song that included exotic instruments creating a soft but rhythmic melody.

"A song?" Laval asked. "Wait, does this means Eris is going to...?!"

Soon, Eris came out from the shadows behind the stone... and all the present males found themselves amazed. Their eagle friend wore a bra made of golden coins with a hip scarf of the same color over her silver skirts and light blue bracelets on her wrists. Her feathers were so cleaned that they shone under Eglor's projector light.

The present males have known Eris since they were kids... and never have they seen her looking so beautiful. And for her dress... well, her normal one did reveal a lot of her body, but they never expected her to dress so lightly. Gorzan mumbled "Duuuude..." while Worriz held his eyes wide open and Razar's jaw hung open. But none of them stared at the beautiful eagle the same way as Laval.

Eris felt her heart beat thousand times a second as she took in the gazes of her friends - Laval most of them all. The way he looked at her... She could not disappoint him right now. And so, taking a deep breath, she started her routine by rocking her hips back and forth. Her tail feathers were swinging behind her along her movements, like a snake slithering after its prey.

After gaining enough confidence and went the music kicked up a notch, Eris started doing movements with her arms too, her wings following along and working like fans. She learned to do this on her own while G'Loona still taught her how to belly dance. Twirling, shaking her hips, and even her butt a little bit, Eris found herself enjoying the dance too. She started thinking that she should have started learning this dance a long time ago.

As she moved her stomach back and forth to make pitch-perfect belly rolls, the eagle dared to open one eye to stare at her lion friend. His gaze did not change one bit since the start of her dance. It looked like he stared at a goddess putting on a show for him. The thought made her giggle to herself a bit as she started shimmying her hips.

The others were amazed by this too. They never saw any girl, let alone an eagle, doing this, and were beyond impressed. As the music became faster and more dynamic, so did Eris' movements. She made a few false steps in the process, but never lost her grace or her focus. Nothing else mattered but this moment.

Eris undulated her arms and also performed circle patterns with her belly button. Not that she held any fat on her toned stomach, but the strength of her moves forced it to do so. After shaking her hips and swinging her wings around for many more minutes that felt like hours, the young eagle finished her dance with an alluring pose, opening her wings wide.

To her amusement, the boys were too amazed by what she just did to say anything. She went back behind the stone to change into her normal outfit before coming back to her friends. By this time, they snapped out of their trances and started complimenting her. Worriz said she did an amazing performance, Razar invited her to do the same at his tribe to drag a larger crowd of clients, Gorzan wanted to know who taught her this, and Cragger wanted to know who made her costume.

However, after being done with them, the young eagle made her way toward the one she wished to impress the most. "H-How did you find my dance, Laval?"

"I-It was amazing, Eris!" the lion said with a bright smile. "I didn't know you loved to dance! When did you learned that?"

"A few months ago. A friend of mine taught it to me." The eagle's white cheeks became red like apples. "Listen, Laval, I want to thank you for all the times you have been here for me and encouraged me when I needed it. I'm happy to be an eagle warrior but I'd be nothing without you."

"Hey, what are friends for?" the lion asked with wrapping his arms around his friend for a hug.

"You're right. And I hope that one day, you and I can become more than friends...," Eris thought.

**I hope you enjoyed this short but sweet story, my friends. I know that movies and TV shows like to present belly dance as an adult dance to get men excited, but personally, I think that it can bring a beauty and elegance out of women that other dances like hip hop or break dance cannot. But except that, constructive reviews are welcome and may the gods watch over you all.**


End file.
